Fast charging destroys the mobile battery. Superstition or fact?

We use mobile phones every day and give them a lot of work. It is not unusual for us to reach for the charger several times a day during an extremely demanding day. We then want to supply energy to the battery as quickly as possible. Many mobile phones today support fast charging, but some users believe that fast charging is harmful. Is it true or a myth? Does fast charging destroy phone battery? We looked at what the experts have to say about it.

Does fast charging harm the battery?

Charging speed has seen progress recently. Previously, 20 or 30 W was considered fast charging, today it is the standard charging speed. Some models can handle 100 W or even up to 300 W. With the development of technologies in this area, charging is becoming faster and faster. However, with faster charging comes security issues. Won’t charging this fast damage the battery? Won’t cell phone battery degrade faster? According to experts from the magazine PC Mag the answer is not clear cut.

This fact is confirmed by the video shared on the profile Branch Education. The video explains how batteries in mobile phones work, so concerns about fast charging are not entirely misplaced. Batteries have two layers – cobalt-lithium oxide and graphite. As lithium ions move from the graphite layer to the lithium cobalt layer through the electrolyte solution, electrons are released. As the battery charges, the ions move back in the opposite direction and are stored to be released later when the device is turned on and used.

This release of energy creates heat, which can damage the battery in the long run. However, Li-Ion batteries have evolved and are much more efficient than before. They can handle multiple charge cycles and lose their capacity only after many cycles.

Mobile phone charging, illustration | photo: Unsplash

Why do batteries lose capacity?

A smartphone’s battery goes through cycles over and over again, causing a natural degradation of its capacity. One of the reasons is the electrolyte solution in the battery. Salts in solution can crystallize over time and form solids that block the transport of ions through the solution. If fewer ions penetrate, fewer electrons are released and the battery cannot perform as well as when it was new. Battery degradation is inevitable and every battery will eventually do so. However, if you follow the advice of experts, you can slow down the degradation.

Phones have protection

It used to happen that batteries would overheat during rapid charging, which could cause faster degradation. But now cell phones are equipped with components and software that eliminate excessive heat.

For example, current smartphones have control over the flow of energy that goes into the battery during charging. They are equipped with heat shields or thermal layers. Some more advanced models also have cooling elements that dissipate heat from the battery. This applies, for example, to smartphones that are intended for mobile gamers.

Many smartphones offer optimized charging and are programmed to turn off power when the battery is full, even if you leave it plugged in. Multi-stage charging, which allows fast charging in stages, is also a protection. This means that the cell phone battery does not receive maximum performance during the entire charging period. As the battery approaches 100% charge, performance decreases.

Many smartphones have optimized charging | photo: Unsplash

To use or not to use fast charging?

The answer is not clear-cut because it all depends on how you use your mobile phone. Fast charging will not benefit your device if it is on high power for a long time. So if you use the phone while charging and put excessive strain on it, there is a certain risk of early battery degradation.

A well-known YouTuber also commented on the fast charging of mobile phones Marques Brownlee. He noted that modern phones have charging optimization features. However, many of these improvements are new and it is not known whether they work as they should in the long term. The definitive answer to the question of whether fast charging worsens the condition of the battery is not yet 100% clear.